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This is a limited edition print of an “original gouache painting of multi-colored dots, which was embroidered with teal thread” by Shannon Rankin.
There is also a Seaside 1 (with pink threads) as well as a Seaside 3 (with green ones) and you can see a picture of the 3 side by side here @ her Flickr.
She also sells original embroidered paintings. I like this one very much (it has now been sold) :
Blythe quarter sleeve dress by Lalatroop @ Etsy.
I have been quite busy this last week and really did not have the time to post, so here’s just a great and colorful dress for Blythe dolls as I love color so much…
Doddi Bear #4 by One Red Robin.
Jhoanna Monte Aranez is one of those women with so many talents that you could spend hours browsing through her blog, her flickr in awe and admiration at her skills and seemingly endless inspiration. But then, of course, this is what inspiration should always be about, an endless round of springing ideas and creations.
I had wanted to blog about that Doddi Bear for quite some time now - every time I came across it in my favorites it really stood out, it has everything I love - and when I settled to write about it yesterday I realized it was no longer available, and couldn’t find it in the sold items either. It turns out that Jhoanna “recently sent her off to someone as a thank-you for a wonderful thing they did for her”!
She has made 5 Doddi Bears and only one is still available in her shop :
But - among other things - she also makes the most amazing doll-girls such as this one (sold too) :
I could go on and on and post many of her creations and really had to stop myself from posting more photos for I tell you she is such a creative woman, so I beg you, check her blog, check her flickr and of course her Etsy shop for there are wonders ahead…
Vanilla Shake : 2 piece pants and top set for Blythe by angela gordon @ Etsy.
Angela Gordon just listed these wonderful white “vanilla” linen pants for Blythe @ her Etsy shop. As you can see, they are very wide at the bottom and I love that shape. The listing is actually for the pants + the top - there is a second listing Cherry Blossom with a different top - but I think I could very well do without the tops.
Whereas I just love the style and look of those pants and I must say I am all the more impressed for after having browsed through pants lately for an article I came to the conclusion that they definitely did not seem easy to make even with the best sewing skills.
Now, if like me you are not totally satisfied with the top, you could order one of the 3 tops left in ardentcurse’s shop from her “Truly Coordinate” series (only one pair of pants still available) :
Smock top for Blythe doll green geo dots.
or one of feltland’s beautiful sweaters and I would personally pick that pale yellow one :
Pair of cups - light blue and white by Kristin Pavelka Pottery @ Etsy.
I’m not so fond of her other creations, but I really love those two cups a lot. Here’s the description in her own words :
Darling pair of earthenware teabowls with blue and white arc pattern and reddish orange dots. Inside is glazed pale lime green. Trimmed footring with personal stamp.
The Country Life - Original Painting by blueberry bandit @ Etsy.
I realized recently that age - and probably experience - has brought me a broader perspective on Art. When I was younger, I had this very ‘elitist’ view upon all things artistic, there was basically ‘ART’ and the rest of it - which could then be dismissed as not really worth looking or considering.
Of course I am an educated woman, I did go to university but my studies were not related to Arts and my artistic culture and background I had to build for myself so I think it was really important for me to have strong positions upon things and forge my own personal opinions from everything I was reading or seeing. Hence the somewhat harsh view upon most things that did not come up to my (very) high standards as to what Art is or should be.
With time, I have acquired a more flexible and I truly believe a more interesting approach to things. So while I love Rothko, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Dubuffet, Chaissac and so many others, I also love that rabbit.
I stumbled upon this painting while researching “mushrooms + art” on Etsy for an article I am writing, and if you think that dots + red and white mushrooms would suffice to make anything cute, think again. This is not ‘cute’, or at least not just.
In her profile blueberry bandit writes :
My name is Sara, and I am a lover/creator of all things cute. Not too cute, mind you. I try to add just the right amount of humor and attitude into the mix when I can.
Attitude, right ! Love that rabbit’s ‘attitude’ !
Check out the description under the painting :
Ah, the country… Fresh air and polka dots all around! This surly bunny enjoys the country life so much that he just might crack a smile. If you watch carefully, you might catch him in the act!
Attitude, right ?
I can already imagine that rabbit over my desk, me waiting for him to “crack a smile”…
This is an original painting.
P.S. : Oh, and it does not show in the shop for there are none available at the moment, but Sara also makes great plushes.
I LOVE NY 3 piece Weekend Outfit For Blythe + Black and White Chanel type Dress by RLKATAJA.
I was not too much in the mood for writing in this blog these days, but as I was browsing through Etsy last week for Blythe stuff I entered rlkataja’s shop and the beauty and coherence of her world made me want to devote an article to her creations alone. I had already made a few of her outfits my favorites, but seeing now more of her talents it seemed obvious that what she is really doing is more than just “sewing dresses”.
The great majority of people who make doll outfits - even the talented ones - will usually have a limited number of patterns that they will decline in a variety of fabrics. Such is not the case with Robin Kataja. When we enter her shop we discover what can be called a “Collection” in the Couture or Pr?t-?-Porter sense of the word. It seems as if her Blythe girls were nostalgic for those days when fashion shows took place in the cosy atmosphere of Parisian salons where someone would introduce every outfit by its number and an evocative or presumably poetic name, thoses days when women - some women I should say - would wear something different for every occasion, so that wardrobes included cocktail party dresses, afternoon dresses, evening dresses, interior gowns, outfits for the countryside and so on and so on, and “Oh my, but what shall I wear for that barbecue the Johnsons have just invited us to ?”…
Vintage Fabric Farmer Country Girl Dress 3 piece + Chevron Striped Sporty Dress
I love rlkataja’s sense of fashion. I used the word “nostalgic” because her photographs bring to my mind images of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly and those wonderful movies by Vincente Minelli and Douglas Sirk, but her creations seem to be very modern to me. She is not trying herself at the “retro” or “vintage” imitation of clothes that we so often see in the world of Blythe. Her Blythe girls clearly state their love of fashion and style and let’s be elegant no matter what but it could as well be in the way a Carrie Bradshaw does. They have learned from the past and have retained their lessons in how to be chic and stylish at all times but they are from their time.
Indeed, her choice of fabrics is outstanding and definitely modern. I was wondering whether Robin Kataja got the idea for an outfit from a particular piece of fabric or if she decided on a certain pattern and went on to find the perfect fabric for it, but the truth is every one of her creations seems to be made for one and only one fabric. Look at that “Dots Candyland Party Dress” for instance. Polka dots are a great classic among Blythe dressmakers, however hers is so very nice and so unique. And what she makes of it is divine. And the “Black and White Striped Pleated Dress” on the left is perfection itself.
Black and White Striped Pleated Dress + Dots Candyland Party Dress
You may have noticed I did put some images of “sold” items like that “Black and White Striped Pleated Dress” just above but she says she can make some of her “sold” outfits again providing she still has the fabric of course. And anyway I did want to show a fair amount of her creations so that it would be obvious to anyone how imaginative and creative she was. She has the most wonderful tee-shirts with Marimekko prints on them, a very cute Pink Lace Babydoll Mini dress, and even though lace is definitely not my thing I like the dress as well as the Celery Green Garden Party one. I particularly liked the two dresses below.
Grey Mod Mini Dress For Blythe + Red Stripe Cafe Dress For Blythe
She has very recently added some new creations that are a bit more glamorous like that Hollywood Glamour Leopard Dress Fur Shrug and that OOAK Raspberry coat with an absolutely beautiful interior lining (click on the link to see a photo of the lining) :
Brilliant Raspberry Mod Wool Ruffle Coat OOAK
Now I am not sure just how many people actually read what I write but it has been such a pleasure writing this that I know I will look forward to rlkataja’s future creations for Blythe.
ice flower tank for girls + camilla, crazy dot, half-apron for girls + playtime sugar cookies in a lil bakery box + playtime sugar cookies in a mini-valise style lunchbox, limited edition by nanaCompany on Etsy.
Those are only a few of the exquisite items you will find in Amy Sinibaldi’s shop!
I first noticed the cookies because I am only just discovering “felt food” so every time I come across one of these things, I feel like a child and look with amazement. But very often having said “how cute” well, there’s not much more left. I mean these things are “cool” and “nice” indeed but, so what? You see them and like them, and then usually forget about them.
I think Amy’s cookies go beyond the “cuteness thing”. They have this special quality, a kind of perfection achieved no doubt with carefully chosen materials and great care and love making them. Look at the full sized image on her Flickr here. Aren’t they just the nicest cookies you ever saw? Don’t you feel like touching them? I myself am not into pinky things and yet they appeal to me in a way I cannot totally explain.
Somehow I think there is something magical in Amy’s creations. She writes :
My husband likens me to a magic elf who only works when everyone’s asleep — pretty little things “magically” appear on the kitchen table in the morning!
I like the Fairy Tale imagery, because I think it acounts a lot for the beautiful world nanaCompany proposes. Those creations seem to me to be more related to a fantastic and ideal world than to the “real” world.
They are meant to be gifts :
a unique and special gift… perfect as a birthday present, end of school surprise, or merry happy un-birthday treat!
And this is exactly what they are, “unique and special”, thus clearly stating to the child you are offering them “you are unique and special and deserve to have beautiful things because I care about you”.
Amy Sinibaldi is making them for little girls, and the modern woman in me - noticed how I managed not to say the word “feminist” here, oops now i’ve said it - the modern woman in me is wondering why it is still only girls who should get offered cooking ustensils (the miniature “just-her-size” wooden spoon) and aprons. Some might argue that the fabrics nanaCompany uses have definitely “girly” patterns and colors. I am not so sure. And anyway, cookies are not just for girls, are they ? And the kitchen is no longer the realm of women exclusively, at least not in my world…
This being said, Amy Sinibaldi’s creations are more modern and less “conservative” or “nostalgic” than they might appear at first sight. The fabrics she uses are elegant and I particularly like the from tokyo with love apron, and pink lemonade is fresh and nice too. There is also another tank with a bit more color and less classical feel to it : pretty posy tank.
Note that she can customize your order. For instance you can ask for your favorite color for the buttons on the ice flower tank. You can also order an adult size apron for 28$… (Anyway she pretty much makes everything upon order, so that you have to allow 2 weeks for your order to be ready to ship.)
Enjoy !
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